Striking The Heart
by EagleStrike1
Summary: I wake up in a strange room and have no idea how I got here. My name is Ezio Auditore and I have to get out of here.


I open my eyes with a phenomenal effort. My head feels like its about to fall off. It takes a while for my eyes to adjust to the bright light. I'm in a small, well furnished room. I'm lying in a large bed, there's a window to the wall on my right. A door stands to the left. I can see a lit torch outside the corridor. Where the hell am I?

As if someone has heard my thoughts, I hear a door open somewhere outside the corridor. I try to sit up and I feel lightheaded. My head falls back as black spots appear in front of my eyes. I can hear my ears ringing loudly and I struggle to remain conscious. Footsteps echo outside the door and I wonder if I have been captured by the enemy, the last thing I remember is a battle. Slowly, I turn my head to my right and then to the left. My robes are lying on top of the bed stand to the left, folded neatly. My weapons however are nowhere to be seen. As the footsteps grow closer, I will have aching body to roll of the bed to the left. I crawl the to side of the door and lean heavily on the wall, my energy has drained completely. I steady myself and spring to action as a cloaked man enters the door. In a split second, I see an old man, white beard trimmed stylishly. My arms wrap around his throat and I apply a choking hold on him. The old man gasps and sputters, his hands swinging wildly towards me. I pull my head back to avoid his desperate hands. The old man falls unconscious and I gently guide his body to the floor. I poke around his clothes. There's nothing there but a few gold coins. A small, wicked knife is tucked in his belt.

I put on my robes quickly and tuck in the knife as well. If I am in the enemy's territory, I will need to defend myself. I peer outside the door. The entire corridor is deserted. A sturdy iron door stands ajar, approximately 30 yards from me. I walk towards the door quickly and slide out. I walk up a short flight of stairs and the corridor takes a right turn. A heavy wooden door is in front of me. I push the door open, praying to the gods that no one hears me. The door opens unto a magnificent hall, the splendidly decorations stun me. Large, beautiful marble pillars support large balconies on all four sides. A flight of stairs leads up to the balconies. The stairs are made of marble as well, two small pools of water flank the bottom of the stairs. There are bookshelves everywhere and I wonder if I am in a library. My guess isn't too far off. After I inspect the room and determine that I am alone, I scout my surroundings. Elegant wooden benches are laid side by side throughout the massive hall and expensive paintings adorn the walls. Persian rugs cover the floors besides the bookshelves and there are several banners strung about the room. I climb up the stairs and suspicions are confirmed. I am indeed in a library. There are more bookshelves here and volumes upon volumes of books are stacked upon small reading tables. A large, circular window is letting in sunlight from the left. I walk up to the windows and look outside. I am inside a palace of sorts. I can see high walls filled with archers and various balconies that connect the building I am in. Beyond the walls are small, neatly stacked houses and tiny dots that are mostly likely civilians going about their business. It's early morning and I can see smoke coming out of some of the chimneys.

I strain my brain to remember where I am but nothing comes to mind. My lack of memory is starting to worry me so I decide to find some answers. I push a panel of the window open and climb outside. The cool morning air works like a magic charm and already I feel my pounding head begin to relax. My senses and wits begin to gather about and I begin to draw basic conclusions. Surely I wasn't captured by the Templars, they would not have left me unguarded unless you count the old man I rendered unconscious. I climb on the roof and find my limbs are slowly energizing. I break into a light jog and scale another roof. My muscles hurt but I continue confidently. Soldiers are training in a courtyard below me and I gather the building that I am on top of is the army barracks. I jump onto another roof and find my way down towards an empty courtyard. I drop to the ground and immediately find cover as I hear voices.

A door opens right behind the pillar and I peek carefully. Two heavily armed guards are walking across the threshold. They are wearing heavy armor and helmets, boots making a loud noise as they walk about with the bearings of the elite guards. I follow them, sticking to cover. They are talking in small voices but I manage to hear something about patrol. The men slow down near a forking paths. They share a joke, laugh loudly and part ways. I know the guard who takes left is headed towards the barracks so I follow the one who takes the right. The path is small and barely enough for two men to walk side by side. I need answers, so I decide to make this one talk. I creep up behind him, take the knife in my right hind and pommel the guard's helmet with the metal hilt. The man clutches his head as he is disoriented from the noise and I use this to my advantage. I shove him in the back and the man falls to the ground, his hand attempting to unsheathe a longsword from his waist. The man gets up quickly and whirls around, the sword in his right hand. I block the sword arm that swings towards me with my left and bring my right hand crashing down. The guard drops the sword but takes a graceful step forward and whirls around, his left arm swinging towards me. I back step and avoid what would have been a brutal punch and kick the man, aiming for his groin. He brings his right fist and blocks the kick inches away from making contact. I regain my balance and take a defensive stance. He's good.

He takes this opportunity to grab the longsword again. The man hasn't called for reinforcements which leads me to believe that we are alone. He swings the sword sideways and I duck. I roll towards him and bring my fist upwards, punching him in the stomach. This was a mistake. He is wearing armor and my fist almost cracks with pain. The punch deals some damage though as he clutches his stomach with his left hand and swings his sword downwards at me. I roll to the side and get up quickly. Before he finishes swinging his sword yet again, I block his arm and punch his helmet. Quickly, I grab the small piece of metal that extends from the helmet unto the nose and pull the guard towards me, he stumbles and trips on my leg, crashing to the floor as I turn his body mid-air and lands heavily on his back. He is winded and I suddenly realize that the action has drained all of my restored energy. I fall down, breathing hard and wondering what the hell is happening to my body. The guard is groaning on the and suddenly he whistles.

The loud whistle echoes loudly and I hear commotion close by. The soldiers I saw training early on must have heard the whistling as I soon hear footsteps thundering close to me. Gathering the rest of my strength, I run. I don't know where I am going and frankly don't care. I am simply trying to get away because I know I am not in a shape to defend myself anymore. I stumble and clutch the walls, barely able to run as my pursuers slowly begin to catch up on me. I reach a dead end and turn around, the walls aren't that high but I am absolutely exhausted. I face the guards, there are four of them and I can hear more coming. The men all carry swords, Rapiers and Sabers glinting brightly. I pull out my knife and make a show of twirling the blade in my arm, hoping the men won't notice how tired I am. And yet the men do not attack. They are glancing at me nervously, their weapons ready. I stare at them, confused and wary. Slowly, the men back away, weapons sheathing in their waists. I don't drop my guard, suspecting this to be a trick.

Despite my exhaustion, my senses are still sharp and they soon pick up quiet footsteps on the roof of the building on my right. I look up and see a hooded figure appear on the edge. I recognize the familiar figure but cannot see the robes he dons. Still, I call out loud.

"Volpe?"

The figure leaps from the edge and lands in front of me. The piercing violet eyes of La Volpe meet my gaze and the Master thief grins at me.

"Quite a ruckus you caused back there old friend."

I smile back as I sheathe the knife and embrace Volpe. The guards are staring at me, confused and unsure of what to do. Volpe seems to read my mind. He turns around and addresses the men.

"Sorry about the misunderstanding. Please resume your training. I'll see to my friend here."

The men look relieved and turn around to leave.

Volpe turns around and whispers,

"Not here. I'll answer your questions when we are alone. Follow me."

With a thousand questions in my mind, I follow Volpe.


End file.
